


Young Love

by AutumnalBloom, awbucks



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Kid Bucky Barnes, Kid Fic, Kid Tony Stark, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 15:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnalBloom/pseuds/AutumnalBloom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/awbucks/pseuds/awbucks
Summary: Tony and Bucky meet in first grade, and their relationship blossoms over time into adulthood. There are some bumps along the way, but everything turns out mostly okay.





	Young Love

Hiya!” James Barnes smiled up at the lady who opened the door. He was holding a plastic wrapped plate of cookies his own mama had made and had his grass stained sneakers on. It was soccer time, after all. 

“My mama said that you guys just moved in here, and that we should say hi! So,” James paused for a moment upon seeing a little figure appear behind the woman. He gave him a jack-o-lantern smile. James’s teeth had started falling out right around his birthday. He’d gotten almost five dollars from the tooth fairy!

“Hi!” He would wave, but the plate his mama had put the cookies on was a nice one, one of those breakable ones, and James didn’t want to drop it- it was sort of heavy. 

“I’m James! Do you like playing soccer?” 

Tony peeked out behind his mother’s expensive dress, staring at the little boy with wide eyes. “Uh - uh, I’m Tony. ‘Ve never played soccer before.” He was on the shy side for his age. Maria took the cookies from the boy, and handed one to each of them. 

“Here, Antonio. Go play with the new neighbor.” She smiled gently and pushed him out the door. It’d be good for him to play outside. Not stuck inside all day reading or building electronics. Howard might’ve thought that made for a suitable childhood, but she didn’t. A child should play. Especially her Antonio. 

Tony blinked, and stood in stunned silence for a minute. He nibbled on the cookie slowly, and observed the new little boy. Tony had never had a neighbor (or a friend, really) that was his own age. “Will you teach me how to play soccer?” Maybe he could make friends with this boy. He seemed nice and had lost almost all the same teeth that Tony had. 

“I don’t know too many games.” 

James nodded excitedly and jumped off the porch, running across the lawn. He stopped when Tony didn’t immediately follow. He waved an arm for him to come. 

“C’mon! I gotta net and a ball at my house. Can you come over? We don’t hafta go inside or anything.” James knew that some kids weren’t allowed to go inside other kids houses without their mom’s or dad’s permission. Steve was like that, ‘cept with him. He was allowed to come over whenever he wanted. Mama said that was cause she knew all the medicines he needed to take. 

“And maybe my mama will bring out these fancy pops she made outta juice when we’re done.” 

Tony followed him, running to the yard that was just next door. James was right, he did have a net and ball. He picked up the ball, studying the pentagons and squares. “This’s got a surface area of two hundred some forty.” He said, with a small sense of satisfaction. Hadn’t taken him too long. Still wasn’t quick enough, but it was a little better than last time. Tony looked back up to James for confirmation, but found no answers.

“Oh. Uh- so, how do I play?” He put the ball back down on the ground. Tony could sorta remember Jarvis watching it once, and one of his nannies too. It was popular in places ‘sides America. “With my feets, right?” Momma had told him that sometimes he knew things he wasn’t supposed to know. Not just in math, but with other things too. It meant that other kids didn’t like him so much. 

“I hafta kick it to you?”

James didn’t know what a surface area was- it sounded like how much space something was, but he didn’t know that you could figure it out on a ball. Tony must be really smart. He was going to say something about it, but then Tony asked him how he played soccer. 

“Yeah!” He jogged a couple feet away and turned to face the kid. He put his hands on his knees like his coaches did and looked up at Tony through his bangs. His dad wanted him to cut his hair but he didn’t want to, he didn’t like to get it cut. Only sometimes, if it made him all sweaty and gross, but right now it was just a little floppy. James thought it looked ugly when it was all shaved close like his brothers were. They let dad bring them to the shop. 

“We can just kick it back n’ forth ‘till you get the hang of it.” 

Tony nodded a little bit and kicked the ball towards James. It didn’t seem too hard. Then James kicked it back, and Tony almost fell over in an effort to catch it. He was still a little unsteady on his feet, not quite as fast or strong as the other boys his age. 

“Got it!” He said, kicking it back just in time. It went on like that for a little while, before he did finally fall down. His knee was a little skinned, but he didn’t cry. Only sniffled a little at the burn. He wasn’t s’possed to cry. He glanced at James. “M’okay, promise. But do you have a bandaid?” Maybe he wouldn’t have to go back home. Tony didn’t want to go back home yet. James was nice and he was having fun. 

“Or if ya don’t, that’s okay too. I still want to play. Maybe we could play...imaginations?” Tony had never done that before, but sometimes he liked to pretend he was one of the big robot arms in his dad’s lab. He’d bend over and make little booping noises, then pick something up and put it somewhere else (robotically). It was pretty fun, for him at least.

James frowned when Tony fell and cut his knee. He ran over and dug into his shorts’ pocket, pulling out a Hello Kitty bandaid. 

“Here.” He said seriously, unwrapping the bandaid and putting it over the scrape. “My friend Stevie’s always gettin’ hurt n’ stuff, so I keep bandages and things with me. My mama says I’m like a little medic.” He smiled a little and helped his new friend up. 

“What type’a imagination do ya wanna do? We sometimes do dragon castle ones, n’ we all take turns bein’ the knight and the princess.” 

Tony smiled, at both the band-aid and James’ ideas. “I like that idea. Let’s do that. I wanna be the princess, m’kay? I’ll run away from the dragon.” He ran off, boo boo forgotten about. “Hep! Hep! There’s a big dragon chasin’ me!” Tony waved his arms, going mostly in circles.

“Save me, mister knight!” Tony was having more fun than he had in ages. As he spun around, he noticed his mom watching out the window to make sure he was really okay. He paused and waved at her, then kept running. Tony would try not to get all dirty. He probably would, though.

James laughed out loud and scrambled over, picking up a fallen tree branch to use as a pretend sword. “I’ll save you, princess!” He fought the dragon- swinging the stick in the air and grunting in exaggerated effort. He pretneded for a few moments more and then stuck the stick out straight, ‘stabbing’ the dragon in the heart. James grabbed Tony by the hand and ran across the yard to the shed. Even though it was filled with all lawnmowers and snowblowers and stuff, it was still fun to play in. 

He pulled Tony inside and closed the door, leaving only a crack open. He wrapped his arms around Tony and looked out over the yard. It was empty, but in James’ mind, littered with fantastical dangers. 

“I think we’re safe.” He said, with a smirk. “For now.” 

James was..hugging him? Tony moved into the touch just a little, afraid that the other kid would let him go. It was stupid, really. It was just that - mommy was great, but she didn’t like how icky Tony got when he did anything. Howard never wanted to hug or hold his hand, though Jarvis usually hugged him before bed. “You keep me safe?” He asked, quietly. Tony peeked out through the crack in the garden shed, seeing nothing but an open yard. 

“Even if there’s another dragon?” He didn’t move, just..watched. James seemed to know how to play imaginations a lot better too. Tony wanted to fit in, though. “‘Cause there are lots of scary things out there. You see that ogre?” He pointed at a bush. “He’s big an’ - an’ ugly too!” 

Tony smiled a little. “But we’re safe in the castle.” 

\-----

Tony clung to his new backpack, which was far too heavy for his little body. Today was the first day of school! Tony was so excited to be in the first grade. He didn’t know anybody who was joining the first grade ‘cept for James, but that was enough. They were best friends now, except only Tony called him that. James’ best friend was Steve, and you couldn’t have two best friends. So you had a best friend, and a kind of best friend.

Mommy had convinced Howard to let him ride the bus with the other kids, at least for now. He stumbled up the stairs and plopped down on the first available seat, slipping off the backpack. Tony didn’t see James. But the seats were so tall, and he wasn’t allowed to get up while the bus was moving. Maybe they’d see each other in class? 

It turned out, they were in the same class! Today they were making macaroni art to give to their parents for the first few hours of class, so Tony sat down next to James and started glueing. “What are you gonna make? My mommy likes..flowers, so I’m gonna make her a flower.” That wouldn’t be too hard, but what to make for Howard? 

“And Howard, he likes..robots? Yeah, maybe I make him that.” Somehow, out of his limited choices of macaroni and beads. Tony was going to try.

James nodded and shrugged a little. “I think’m gonna make a macaroni family, ‘cause then I don’t hafta make a bunch’a little things for everyone but not feel bad about it.” Really, he just wanted to make something for mama and dad, and then something for Becca, cause Georgie was too little and Tom was sort of annoying, but James knew he’d feel bad if either of them asked him where there’s were when he gave everyone else their gifts. 

He smiled and looked over at Tony. He was gonna make something for his friends too, but that was a surprise. Just something little, ‘cause he didn’t have a lotta macaroni and things, but Natasha didn’t go to normal school so she didn’t get to make art, and Steve was home sick and then Tony and Sam where here but he wanted to make them something too. 

“What’s y’favorite color, Tony?” 

Tony smiled. “Blue. Howard says it oughta’ be red like his, but I like blue better.” He kept pasting, until there was an abstract flower on the page for Maria. “Does dis look kindas like a rose?” Tony nodded. It did to him. He remembered that mom said Howard used to bring her roses, when they were still courtin’. Howard didn’t do that anymore, but Tony could bring her a rose.

He stuck out his tongue in concentration, moving on to Howard’s robot. Then he paused. He could make something for James too! “What’s yours favorite color?” Maybe it was..blue? Like the color of James’ eyes. He had pretty eyes. Tony’s were plain and brown, but his mom said there were nice. Everybody’s mom had to say they looked nice. It was the rules.

James thought for a moment and frowned down at his half finished macaroni family. He wasn’t sure what his favorite color was. He thinks it might be blue, like Tony, but he didn’t want to copy. So, instead, he just shrugged his shoulders and pushed some hair out of his face. Maybe he should let dad bring him to get it cut. 

“I dunno. There’s just so many colors. I like the sky on some days but I really like green on other days and then somedays I really likes pink n’ all, even though I know that’s a girly color…” He looked over at Tony, a little scared. 

“You won’t tell anyone, right? S’a secret?” He finished glueing the pink beads down on his mama’s dress and sighed softly. 

“There’s a boy in second grade who told me that pink and purple n’ stuffs are girly n’ that boys can’t like’em.” 

Tony shook his head quickly. “I won’t tell n’ body. But..” He leaned closer. “Mom lets me put on her pearls and I don’ think it’s too girly.” He smiled a little bit. “I think pink and purple are nice colors for boys or girls.” 

He looked around, as if sharing a secret. “I think that boy must just be real dumb. Momma said not to listen to the older boys, cause they’re meanies. Maybe you should ‘nore them too.” 

The robot arm was almost completed, a mix of curves in a straight line with a claw on the end. It was messy, but Tony had very obviously tried. It wasn’t his fault that macaroni wasn’t very good for robots. Then, what should he make James? Tony knew! A soccer ball, and then he could color the inside. It’d be perfect.

“Tada!” James picked up the little half sheet of construction paper he’d glued macaroni into a blue T on and held it out to Tony. In crayon, it said To: Tony Love: James, written in shaky letters. 

“Here ya go. I made this for you.” James beamed and let Tony take it from his hands. “I hope you like it.” 

Tony gasped a little. “I love it!” He said, taking the macaroni art from James. Without a moment’s hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the other little boy in a brief hug. “Thanks you, James.” This had been the best first day of school ever. “I made you one too.” He showed James his own project, a soccer ball colored pink and purple on the opposite pentagons.

“I don’t write as good as you, but I tried.” His letters were messy, but one could still make out ‘love, tony’. The bell rang, and Tony glanced up at the clock. It was time to go home. The first graders didn’t get to go to school as long, since they were still learning how to go to school.

The other kids were starting to line up. “I see you soon, James.” He gave the other boy another little hug, then ran off to get in line. Tony didn’t want to go back home, but he had to. That was how school worked. He would live there if he could, though.

James was quietly happy the whole bus ride home from school, Tony’s soccer ball carefully held in his lap. It was totally gonna go up on his wall next to the breakable J his mama had gotten him. It was on the fancy part of his wall. James shared a room with Tommy, and they each had one wall to decorate. In his backpack, he had all his other presents too. The N for Natasha, the two S’s, one for Steve and one for Sam, and the macaroni family that he was hoping mama would put up on the fridge. 

The bus pulled up to his house and James hopped up from his seat. Tony got drove home, which was kinda cool, but it did make James miss his friend. Maybe he could see if Tony could ride the bus sometimes so they could play after school. 

Yeah! That’d be awesome!

Tony knew he was in trouble when he got home. Howard stormed into the room. “You little twerp! You were in my lab again, weren’t you? Without my permission?” He growled, taking a step forward. Tony dug around in his bag rapidly, finding his macaroni art. “J-just so I could make you this, Howard. See? Your ‘bot.” 

Howard ripped the paper out of Tony’s hands, giving the little boy a nasty papercut. He shook his head. “That doesn’t look like my robot.” He grunted. “Go see Jarvis and get that cut looked at. And stay the fuck outta my lab, Tony. You aren’t welcome there.”

Big tears formed on Tony’s cheeks, and he wiped them away quickly before Howard could see. He knew he wasn’t welcome in the lab. Tony just - he had wanted to make something for Howard, but he didn’t like it. He never seemed to like anything he made! He looked up at his father with big eyes for a long moment, then ran off to find Jarvis. His boo-boo hurt. But..it was just an accident, right? That was all.


End file.
